There have been plenty of players in the NBA who played at a very high level despite a lack of athletic ability. Especially at the point guard spot. Players significantly less athletic than Spanoulis have thrived in the NBA.

True. It wasn't me though that made the claims about athleticism. Spanoulis had decent athleticism, especially for a white guy, more than decent skill and bball IQ, but very low determination.

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If he had the skill and IQ, he could have used that to his advantage. High IQ players are always an asset to a team. The rest of the league "doesn't emphasize" this? Great! That only means there is more opportunity to take advantage of that.

Which is exactly why, even after a poor rookie season, he was still chosen by the Spurs, one of the smartest teams in the last *add whichever number >10 you want here* years.

Let me rephrase it like this: If a player managed to play for Zeljko Obradovic (one of the most perfectionist coaches you'll ever see) for many seasons (and left only after deciding himself to), that qualifies his bball IQ as high. Obradovic has cut/not expanded the contracts of some former/later NBA players throughout the years because of failing to adapt to the team's logic and systems, and Obradovic had been a part of his team long before Spanoulis, so it's not as if Spanoulis was some kind of non-negotiable to leave star player that didn't make it an easy option for his coach to waive him.